Maria’s Style Cherry Apple Salsa

A Sweet & Hot Low-Calorie Find

We taste a lot of salsas, and most are pleasant but not special enough beyond what’s available almost everywhere to merit writing up as a Nibble.

That’s why we were excited by the refreshing sweet and hot flavor profile of Cherry Apple Salsa by Maria’s Style, a product of Reid Foods, a Chicago manufacturer of salsas and sauces.

The dominant flavor is cherry—tasting like the fresh cherries of summer have been harvested and crushed into the jar. Flavor nuances and texture are provided by diced tomatoes, red bell peppers and onions, with jalapeños for heat and lemon juice for sprightliness. All of the ingredients are fresh, and the salsa is preservative-free.

Salsas are by nature low fat, low carb, and low cal; and Cherry Apple Salsa weighs in at nine calories a tablespoon, no fat, and minimal sodium and carbs. It’s a bargain.

We enjoyed Cherry Apple Salsa in a variety of ways:

With chips and crudités

On chicken, pork and seafood

On rice and potatoes (blended into cooked white rice, it was a spicy version of sour cherry rice, a wonderful Persian dish)

As a condiment for eggs

Mixed with yogurt to make a salad dressing, creamy dip, and sandwich spread

As a sweet and spicy topping on vanilla ice cream.

Salsa of the Month Club

Maria’s “Salsa of the Month Club” lets salsa lovers receive a new salsa every month of the year. It’s not a bad gift idea for a hard-to-buy-for person who loves salsa, or who’s always on a diet, since salsas provide so much flavor for so few calories. There are 3, 6, 9, and 12 month plans at $12 a month, which includes shipping. However, as there are only six flavors of salsa, after six months the flavors repeat. In addition to the Cherry Apple Salsa, there are Black Bean Salsa, Hot Salsa, Medium Salsa, Peach Salsa, and Salsa Verde.

But for our nickel (or $12), a monthly jar of Cherry Apple Salsa is a treat we can’t find elsewhere, and will gladly continue to treat ourself to.